Bike Rental in Paris

Velib isn't a good choice for pleasure riding. It's designed for getting from point A to point B. It's expensive if you have the bike longer than 30 min. We've rented from Fat Tires several times, and there are other places that rent bikes as well. On Sundays, they close the road along the Seine river on the north side to cars and it's very fun to ride. You can also ride all over Paris on the smaller, side streets with less cars. And lots of residential streets with practically no cars. I think bike riding in Paris is easy and fun. And, it's flat.. unlike San Francisco where I ride a lot. Fat Tire and others also do organized bike tours if you're interested in that.

Susan is correct. Velib is not for long term rentals. It is a bike sharing much like what is spreading in the US. It is designed for p2p transportation. First 30 min free, next 30 mins not too bad, but the next hour is painful. Also you need to pay for a daily card to use. For what you want to do, daily rental from a local bike shop is the way to go.

Thanks. That's helpful information.